A new free update to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is bringing custom mayhem to your races. With the new Custom Items option, players can specify which items appear in the game, and even allocate specific items to each team in Team Races in Battles. The option can be used in offline VS Races as well as certain online modes.
The Custom Items option can unleash even more mayhem upon your races, allowing players to randomize which power-ups appear in boxes. You can also turn items off entirely if you’re looking for a purely driving-based mode.
Imagine a game where the only item available is Bullet Bills. Or only Red Shells. Or bring about a new level of suffering with an all-Blue Shells race.
you may not like it but this is what a peak mario kart match looks like #MK8D #NintendoSwitch pic.twitter.com/yYPPnEDQi0
— Akfamilyhome (@Akfamilyhome) December 7, 2022
The new feature allows players to have extensive customization in their races, creating countless new avenues of gameplay. Hate the lightning power-up and want to see it banished? Can’t stand when you get coins as an Item Box prize instead of a Shell or Mushroom? Fear not, the Custom Items option is here to help.
The new update is available for free now. It arrives alongside the launch of the premium Booster Course Pass Wave 3, which brought eight new tracks to the game. The pass includes Merry Mountain, Peach Gardens, Maple Treeway, Rainbow Road, Rock Rock Mountain, Boo Lake, Berlin Byways and London Loop.
The eight tracks are only available as part of the $24.99 Booster Course Pass and not as an individual add-on. However, purchasing the DLC also grants users to the 16 previously released courses and another 24 in 2023. All six waves will have been released by the end of 2023, making Mario Kart 8 Deluxe have over half of the courses ever released.
Carson Burton is a freelance news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter at @carsonsburton.